Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Let's remember she's only 20 years old.

As mature as she seems for her age, Taylor Swift reminds us with each new album that she’s still a kid at heart. Her new album “Speak Now” is an ode to many of her relationships over the last two years. The title, she says, is a reminder that one should never walk away from a relationship holding on to your true feelings.


This is horrible advice. I can think of at least two personal instances in which biting my tongue was the best play. Both involved girls I fawned over, and thinking back it’s pretty clear neither had any interest in me. I was blinded by lust.

Like most teenagers/young adults, I went through a year or two of “finding myself.” This era was kicked off by the implosion of one long-term relationship, and ended with the beginning of the relationship with the woman who’d eventually become my wife. In between I was searching for love from any girl who knew my name or smiled at me when I cracked a joke. It’s possible I asked out every waitress at one restaurant I worked at, and I don’t remember a single date (although two said “yes” to be polite).


I don’t like to talk about this desperate time in my life, but I now realize everyone goes through something similar. I think Taylor is struggling to understand love and using her art to express herself; It’s what teenage/early 20 year old girls do. While I was emerging from this depression, I remember a few girls who left “The Note” under my windshield, or called at all hours wondering why we broke up.

They weren’t crazy. They were 20! I can't promise I didn't leave “The Note” myself.

I find Taylor’s naivete endearing. I doubt she’ll still be throwing old boyfriends under the bus ten years from now. Thirty year old women are much less self involved than 20 year olds. I hope she doesn’t look back and cringe as I do when I think of my flailing attempts at love. She should take comfort knowing she helped a lot of young girls get through something similar.


I just irritated the hell out of everyone.

No comments: